Apparatus for producing moire fabrics



June 3, 1952 H. A. HOLTERHOFF APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING MOIRE FABRICS Filed July 29, 1949 Fig -Z- F m MT a mH A T TOR/VE Y Patented June 3, 1952 UNI-TED? S TA-TES- PATENT F APPARATUS Fon momicme Moms.

FABRICS HansA. Holterhoff, New York,.N'.- Application Jilly 29, 1949, Serial N0. 107,427

This invention relates to the art of applying designs to fabrics by wetting the same within confined areas and is therefore applicable to the printing of fabrics, such as cotton goods where the designs are produced by the application of aqueous solutions containing gum and printing colors tocertain areas of the fabrics.

The invention is equally well usuable for the production of moire fabrics where aqueous solutions or organic liquids are appliedto certain areas of the fabrics representing the designs in the finished materials.

To supply the liquid agents to'thepatter-n producing areas a roller is frequently used having raised portions of the required design; however, a stencil or an engraved tool or a sponge may also be employed for this purpose;

After the creation of the design defining moistened areas the treatment is completed by passing the fabrics through a spr'eading tool or bar or plate which has the important function to laterally shift and smooth the. fabrics from a center line and to flatten them sozthatz the wetted areas remain restricted to I those: portions of i the fabrics which in the finished products formv the designs.

The cooperation of the design applying or de sign printing appliance and the spreading. tool has produced satisfactory; results in the opera.- tion of dry fabric designing and moirein'g processes.

. However, with themethods where: the designs are applied by wetting or combined heating and wetting as, for instance, disclosed in-U. S. Patent No. 2,448,145 severe difilculties arose.

When the wetted fabrics leave the operating sphere of the design applying applianceand are conducted to the spreading tool. the liquid is transferred by the latter to. the portions of the fabrics which are adjacentlto. those to bedesigned. Therefore,.the bordersandcontours of the design portions becomeobscure and blur-red; a product results of which the-design portions or patterns are indistinct. The thus produced goods are unfit for commer'cial'purposes These grave disadvantages .malie themselvesparticularly felt in those moireing methodsv where the fabrics are subjected to a combined wetting and tensioning action and the intent of the crimping tools to transfer theliquidsover the boundaries of the patterned portions and to accordingly obscure the design isincre'ased';

Moreover, it must be considered that pattern designing and printing processes which are carried-out with a wet medium create a moisture saturated atmosphere which adds to the difficulty of obtaining sharply defined designs and patterns, because the moisture" condenses from the surrounding atmosphere on the crimping tool.

It is themain object of thl's-inventionto eliminate the design obscuring influence of the spreading tools in the production of designed fabrics, such as. printed or moiree'd" fabrics, where the pattern constituting parts of the fabrics are created by wetting. v I

It is a; further object-of the invention to exert this important action particularly in combination withthose moirein'g methods where the fabrics in addition to being'wetted are subjected to tension. 7

It is also an object of this invention to intensify the" differential character of the designed and the untreated portions of the goods.

Another advantage of this invention documents itself" insofar as the brilliant luster of the design portions which is one of the .mainrequirements'of a" moire fabric is-particularly well developed.

With the above mentioned and additional objects in'view which will become apparent as this specification proceeds the invention comprises in its broad aspect the appliance of heatto the spreading tools and particularly" to spreading bars" in connection with those fabric designing processes where'th'e fabrics are moistened inconfined pattern areas, for instance wet-printed or wet-moireed; its main advantage-resides therein that the wetted design forming areas are immediately stabilized and fixed in contact with-the heated spreading tool and-that the moisture is prevented from being transferred beyond the design borders.

The invention will new be described more in detail and with reference to the accompanying drawings showing its application tothe production of moire designs.

Inthe drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side view of a moireing installation designed'in conformity withthe objects of this invention,

Fig; 2 isabottomplan View of the installation shown in'Fi'g. l, g

Fig. 3 is'a top plan"viewof"a modified constructional detail, and r Fig. 4 is a side view of another modifiedconstructional detail.

The installation schematically shown in the drawingcomprises a frame-- structure iwhich carries the various devicescdristitutingthe instantmoirein'gdevice? I The fabric? tobe' processed is-Wound upon a rod 3 which is located in the right hand side offrame I; The fabric is moved through the installation and finally wound" onto rod 4 by motor 5. Upon leaving rod 3the fabric 2 is'conducted over a guide '6' and 'passes'from the'reover the designin'g'tooll which inthe usual-manner is provided with-design producing raised pior tionsorprojeotioiisi Instead"cra aesigmng tool shaped spaced elevated portions [6 which sup ply the liquid to the fabrics within correspond-.

ingly confined areas; it has been found that if the quantity of liquid is applied to the fabrics at a ratio which approaches the upper limitlof the permissible range the more pronounced is .the resulting design character. The fabric 2 is now brought in operative contactwith spreading tool 9.

'This spreading tool. is stationary andin the usual manner provided with ridges ID for the purpose of smoothing,.spreading and flattening the wetted fabrics from a center line towards both sides. .This crimping tool is in conformity with the invention heated and for this purpose preferably provided with conduits. llleadin steam or another heating medium imam inner space. The temperature to which the spreading tool is heated may be preferably between about 200 to 350 F. It is obvious that the temperature of the tool must not be raised to a degree-which might injurethefabric. The heating of the tool prevents the smearing of the-designs over their borders even if the fabrics themselves retain some of. the moisture.- restricted'to the shown mode of heating the spreading tool and other suitable means, for instance, electric resistors may be used to heat thesame. w; e

The heatinggof designed moire fabrics is of course not new as such and heated stationary cylinders have-been used for-this purpose. The

invention is restricted to that fabric designing workjwhere wetted fabricsaresubjected to the action ofspreading tools in order to laterally smootlrand flatten the same. 7 r a .This important development of themoireing and other fabric designing processes has been put on a satisfactory operational "basis only by the heating of'the spreading tools in conformity with the invention as the wet-treated fabrics produced with cold crimping toolsor bars are greatly inferior. As simple as-the invention appears it denotes a surprising and important progressinthis particular art.

The action of the heated spreading roller 9 is additionally improved and completed by the provision of the drum [2 over which the fabrics are passed when they leave the spreading tool.

This drum is provided with a V-shaped ledge l3 extending over its surface from a center line to both sides; instead of one aplurality of these However, the'invention is not,

The invention has been described in connection with the produced of moireed fabrics, but it is to be understood that many variations and modifications thereof may be resorted to without departure from the scope of the invention as V defined in the following claims.

I claim: -1. In an installation for the manufacture of designed fabrics such as printed cotton goods,

moireed fabrics and the like the combination of "apatte'rn applying tool having portions conforming in shape to the design areas, means to wet the surface of said tool, a spreading tool and means to heat the same, said design applying tool and said spreading tool being located in substantially successive relationship and means to conduct the fabrics through'said tool combination whereby the contours ofthe wetted designed areas are fixed by contact with the heated spreading tool.

2. In an installation for the manufacture of designed fabrics such as printed cotton goods, moireed fabrics and the like the combination of .a pattern applying tool'having raised portions conforming in shape to the design areas, means to wet the surface of said tool; a spreading tool and means to heat the same, said design applyledges l3'may be provided in paralleled relationship to each other as schematically shown in Fig.

3. This drum I2 is also provided withheating means such as the steam conduit M; the drum l2 serves the purpose of removing any residual moisture which may have remained in-the designed portions of the fabric at the same time assisting in the lateral smoothing-and flattening work. Instead of a full drum a device may be treated fabrics are conducted underneath guide roller and wound onto the rod 4. They are hereafter in -,the customary manner folded and finished byapplication of heat and pressure.

.ing tool and said spreading tool being located in substantially successive relationship and means to conduct the fabrics through said tool combination whereby the contours of the wetted designed areas are fixed by contact with the heated crimping tool.

3.'In'an insta1lation for the manufacture of designed fabrics such-as printed cotton goods, moireed fabrics and the like the combination of a pattern applying tool having raised'portions conforming in shape to the design areas, means to wetthe surface of said'tool, a spreading tool and'means to heat the'same, a drum having at least one V-shaped ledge laterally extending from a center line over its fabric contacting circumference and means to heat said drum, said design applying tool, said spreading tool and said 7 drum being located in substantially successive relationship and means to conduct the fabrics through the combination offsaid tools and drum.

4. In an'installation' for themanufacture of designed fabrics such as printed cotton goods, moireed fabrics and the like. the combination of a pattern applying tool having raised portions conformingin shapeto the design areas, means to wet the surface of said tool, aspreading tool and means to heat the same, a drum segment having atleast' one Vfshaped ledge laterally extending from a center line over its fabric contacting upper rounded portion and. means .to heat said drum sa d design applying tool, said spreading tool and said drum being located in substantially successive relat onship and means, to conduct the fabrics through the combination ofsaid tools, bar and drum segment, Y

. HANS A. HOLTERHOFF.

r 7 REFERENCES. CITED 7 The following references are of record in the fileof this patent:; a a

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 7 1,716,555 -Kane- June 11,- 1929 1,965,567 Schwartz July 10, 1934 2,252,123 Gross. Aug. 12,. 1941 

